The Smell of Flowers
by JROTClover
Summary: A new idea has sprung up among the factions: To train those that are Divergent. Amelia from Amity is the first test subject. But what happens when a girl from the faction of peace falls for a man from the faction of bravery? Gabe from Divergent and Amelia, OC.
1. Dauntless - Chapter 1

I do not own anything in the Divergent (soon-to-be) trilogy!

* * *

Amelia finished up her work in the orchard. Climbing down the ladder, she threw off her gloves and picked up the large basket of oranges she had been picking. Walking back towards the farmhouse her parents were lucky enough to have been assigned to, she began thinking. Amelia had turned 16 some months prior to now, and in another two she would have her choosing ceremony. However, what faction would she choose? At the moment, the choice seemed pretty simple: she enjoyed where she was, so she could stay. But when she was asked what she thought humanity's biggest flaw was, she believed it was a mixture of what all factions believed, but of course that wouldn't work.

Arriving at the back of the house, she put all thoughts aside and set the basket of oranges with the other collection of colorful fruits. She opened the back door, the screen door swinging shut behind her, to find her parents in the kitchen, two officials speaking to them kindly.

"Mama, Dad, what's going on?" she asked, giving the officials a small smile.

"Well, we're trying to figure that out, too. Sit down with us," her mother said, offering her a seat between her parents and a small smile.

"We apologize in advance for any stress caused by this," one of the officials, the taller one, began. "However, this is a new project and may cause uneasiness among many."

"The idea is very simple," the short official carried on. "There have been issues with… special people. Divergent, they are called. There has been a great distaste aroused towards them, and we plan to fix that."

"Therefore," the tall official began, "we have decided to train a Divergent to be accustomed to all factions," he smiled. "After the training, we will then begin to decide what to do next."

"Unfortunately, we will need to take your daughter with us to headquarters," the short official finished.

Amelia's father shook his head. "First, how do you know she's Divergent, and secondly, why should we trust you?" he said, trying to remain calm and avoid conflict.

"Blood tests and because we're from the government," the tall official responded. "And due to our orders, if you don't allow your daughter to come with us, we will be forced to take her unwillingly."

Amelia's mother stifled a sob, and her father began bickering with the officials. Amelia comforted her mother, trying to soothe her. Suddenly three more men came in to the house, two restraining her parents and one grabbing Amelia.

"You have left us no choice, Mr. and Mrs. Price," the short official said. "Say your goodbyes now."

"Mama, Dad!" Amelia said, turning around in the man's grip.

"We love you!" her mother yelled back. "You'll be okay! We'll see you soon, okay baby girl?"

Her father was trying to take down his bodyguard, and her mother disappeared from sight as Amelia was carried away towards an unknown, suddenly very scary future.

* * *

Gabe sat around a table, laughing with a few of his friends. Looking at the time, he realized there was a meeting about to begin for all the faction leaders. "Hey guys, I gotta go." He stood up and left, waving to recognize his friends' farewells.

Arriving at the meeting room above the Dauntless faction's area, Gabe sat down with the handful of other leaders. He had only recently been upgraded by Four to a government position. He nodded his head in greeting at the others, then sat and waited until the projection sprang up, showing all the other government officials on the screen from each faction.

The Abnegation began, giving a quick brief of what was to entail in the meeting. They then passed it to the Erudite and Amity officials, since they were the most involved.

"Greetings," the Erudite official began. His name was Caleb, a relative of a well-ranked Dauntless girl name Tris. "I'll get straight to the point. The Divergent people have been killed and looked down upon for many years," he began. "But we have a plan to use their abilities instead for research. We have planned to apply special training to a Divergent girl by the name of Amelia," he said. Her picture showed up in the middle of the screen. She was a tall girl, with light brown hair that was almost a sandy blonde. Her eyes were a quite shocking hazel. "This special training will include initiation processes for each sector, among other things. After these processes, we will decide what to do. On to Amity."

The Amity leader nodded her head, giving a smile. "Thank you Caleb. We have chosen Amelia due to a family history of Divergence and of her own signs of being so. She is currently contained and being watched at Amity headquarters. The first area she will be trained at will be at the Dauntless institute, if that is fine," she said.

Four nodded. "Of course. Anything else?" he asked. All leaders agreed everything was spoken of. A few small arrangements were made, and then the meeting closed.

Four and Tris, who was also on the committee, called Gabe over. "You'll be in charge of her training, housing, everything," Four said. "Tris will be helping as well, and I of course will be checking on her progress when I can."

Gabe nodded. "No problem."

Four smiled. "She'll be here a little before dinner. Be ready at the dormitories and Tris and I will meet you there to show her around. You'll begin officially tomorrow."

Gabe nodded and was dismissed. This was his first official task that wasn't paperwork while he had been on the committee. He wasn't going to mess it up.

* * *

Amelia arrived at the Dauntless compound. She was being led in by guards. It had taken many threats of tranquilization for her to stop fighting them. She trotted along obediently, taking in every detail she could. By the time they came to a stop, she had a possible escape route planned.

She arrived at a door in one of many random hallways, three people meeting her there. There was a short blonde girl, a tall, very powerful looking man, and an even taller teenage boy with a metal ring through his nose. She sighed. _Why Dauntless?_

"I am Four, head of the faction," the powerful looking man introduced himself. "This is Tris," the short girl, "and Gabe," the tall teenager. "Welcome to our cozy home," he said sarcastically. Amelia smiled slightly.

Four talked to the guards for a few moments and they finally released her. Four undid the handcuffs around her wrists, and waited to see what she would do. When she stood there, looking around, he seemed satisfied. "Now that I know you won't be too difficult at the moment, let's get started."

They walked her around the compound, showing her a few different hallways, some of the shops, et cetera. Four walked to her left, Gabe to her right, and Tris held Four's hand on the farthest left. "Amelia, would you like me to get you some clothes? We can now or tomorrow," Tris said.

Amelia nodded. "Now would probably be better. And I usually go by Lia," she said.

Tris nodded. "Lia. Alright, this way." She walked beside the girl, leaving the two men behind to speak. "I'll also show you your living quarters after dinner. It'd be depressing to have you sleep in the large dormitory all alone," she said.

Lia smiled. "Thank you."

They arrived at the clothing shop. Lia decided on a black t-shirt that she decided looked very good on her, a long sleeve black shirt, a thin gray jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black boots. For the moment she kept her jean shorts on, but changed her shirt and shoes. "There. Before you know it, you'll be getting tattoos and piercings," Tris said with a smile.

Lia smiled. She had always thought about getting a tattoo.

Tris led her to the dining area, a very loud and crowded area that she had to admit smelled very good. She sat down at a table with Tris, Gabe, and Four. "So the shopping went okay?" Four joked, giving Tris a peck on the cheek.

"Well, you know how I _love_ shopping," Tris said. "But at least she's easy to dress."

Lia listened to Tris and Four talk for a bit, then spaced out and observed everything around her. The colorful hair, the not-so-colorful clothes, the laughing, the yelling; all of it caught her attention. Suddenly her peace was broken by the teenager named Gabe speaking.

"What's it like in Amity?" he asked, nibbling on some bread.

She sat up more from her slouched position. "We do a lot of things outdoors," she began, "including work and recreational things. There's little to no conflict," she said with a bit of a smile. "But contrary to popular belief, not everyone's happy-go-lucky."

Gabe laughed. "I think Amity and Abnegation are the opposites of Dauntless. Were you ever thinking of joining?" he asked.

Lia shook her head. "No, I'm not brave enough. I thought about joining Erudite for a while," she admitted.

"But ultimately…?" he inquired.

"I'd probably stay in Amity."

"Ah," he said.

"How old are you?" she inquired.

He smiled. "18."

"And you're on a government committee?" she asked.

He nodded, smiling. "Yup. Here age doesn't really matter."

She smirked. "Can't imagine why."

After dinner, Tris and Gabe led her to her living quarters. Four was apparently doing some job or another.

"Here we are," Tris said. She unlocked the door, handing the keys to Lia. "You're not technically supposed to have the keys, but you're not a prisoner, so we don't see why you shouldn't," she said with a smile.

Tris returned the smile. "Thanks." She ventured into the apartment. It had a small couch and TV in the living room, a kitchen, and down the hallway was a bathroom and a master bedroom. Simple and efficient. "This will be just fine," she said.

Tris nodded. "Well, I gotta get back to my own place," she said with a stretch. "Don't be long Gabe. And even if temporarily, welcome to the family, Lia."

Lia nodded and bid her goodnight. She walked in, allowing Gabe to follow her. He made himself at home, plopping on the couch and turning on the TV.

Lia looked at him. "Had no one ever taught you manners?" she asked, crossing her arms.

He looked back, complete with his wavy brown hair and dark blue eyes. She kept looking at his piercing in his nose. Was that a stone on the ends?

"Yeah, I just usually choose to not follow them," he said with a smirk. He sat up, patting the spot next to him. "Come on, sit down, relax. After all, I am in charge of you for your stay at Hotel Dauntless," he joked.

Lia sighed. "Then I might not be learning much," she smirked. She went over and sat down by him. Taking off her boots and setting them by the end of the couch, she curled her feet up and watched TV with an almost total stranger. _The Dauntless is already affecting me,_ she thought with a laugh.

* * *

Gabe watched Lia out of the corner of his eye. _I'll still call her Amelia,_ he decided. It reminded him of a flower for some reason, and she seemed like a flower to him. He watched as she pulled her feet up to curl next to her and she leaned on the arm of the couch. He didn't know what to make of her yet. She would sass him, yet continued to let him do whatever. He sighed. He'd figure out soon enough.

After about half an hour, both of them sitting in silence, Gabe realized she had fallen asleep. He laughed. _Of course._ He switched off the TV and very gently and slowly picked her up, her knees over one arm and her back against the other. Her forehead leaned against his neck and he could pick up her long, deep breaths running across his skin. She smelled like flowers. A kind of flower that was his mom's favorite, but he couldn't remember what it was.

He reached her bedroom, her bed neatly made. He pulled the sheets down with one hand, her body leaning against his torso more, which his body made sure to make him realize. Finally he was able to set her down gently, her head turning to face him on the pillow, her arms automatically spreading out to the sides of her body. He covered her up with the blankets, watching in almost amazement as she sighed in contentment and smiled, yet still remained sleeping. He made sure her alarm clock was set and made to leave.

He turned off all lights, locked the front door, and set her keys on the counter. Taking one last look around, barely able to hear her tossing and turning in her bed, he walked out the door, for some reason looking forward to their session the next morning.

* * *

Amelia arrived at the training room a few minutes early, taking a look around. There were targets on one wall, and guns sat on a table to her right. Surprise, surprise, they were going to teach her how to shoot a gun. She walked over to the table, curiosity taking the better of her. She reached for a pistol, making sure the safety was on so no one would snap her head off if they saw her holding it. She pointed it down range, taking a stance she had already been exposed to a few times, thanks to her family taking an enjoyment out of shooting recreationally.

Taking a look around, she realized that her instructor, whether it'd be Gabe or Tris, was going to be late. Shrugging, she decided to 'take action' as the Dauntless believed in. She loaded her pistol, took off the safety, and began firing rounds at a target. One, two, three shots hit the center of their targets. She smiled contentedly. She was one of few girls that had a pretty good shot.

Behind her came the sound of clapping, and she turned to see Gabe and Tris watching her. Putting the gun on safety and setting it down, she turned to them and took an over-exaggerated bow. "Thank-you, thank-you," she joked.

Gabe smiled. "Not half-bad. Better than Tris," he laughed.

Tris elbowed him. "Well, since you know how to shoot, looks like we're going to have a shooting day," Tris said with a mischevious smile. "Anyone up for gambling?"

The three decided that before the gambling portion of the day, they would all see who was better than whom. Tris went first, doing worse than Lia's first round, but better than Gabe made it out to be. Gabe went second, doing only two points better than Lia's round. He turned to her, looking smug.

"I can beat that," Lia said. "That was a warm-up round."

"Oh yeah?" Gabe said. "If you're so confident, then here's a wager: If you do worse than me, you take off your shirt. You don't look half bad," he said with a joking wink.

Lia considered this, then nodded. "Fine. But if I win, then you have to wear a dress."

"What?" he said. "That's completely different!"

"Well, taking your shirt off is natural for a guy, and you probably don't have much to show in your pants," she said, mocking his wink. "Deal?" She stuck out her hand.

Gabe nodded, shaking. "Deal!"

"I'll grab the dress," Tris smiled.

Lia loaded her gun, taking her time. She walked up to a fresh target set, and took her stance. She took a breath, in, then out. _Pop. _So far, better than Gabe. In, out. _Pop._ Second target the same. This would decide the winner. In, out. _Pop. _It was too close to call. They ran downrange to check the targets. Tris observed the two, then turned with a smile. "I'll get the dress."

"What!?" Gabe yelled. He turned to the targets. "Damn!"

Lia started laughing. "What'd I tell you?"

Gabe turned red. "Rematch!"

"How about this. If you win, I take off my shirt. If you lose a second time, you have to wear heels with that dress," she winked.

He nodded. "Deal!" They shook on it.

After informing Tris on the deal and letting Gabe undress and get into the rather short black dress he was given—strapless, with a flowy bottom—they had their second round. This time, Lia went first.

She scored one point lower than her previous score, but she was confident. Then Gabe went, and once again, the third round was really close. Tris observed the targets and returned. She turned to Gabe, then said, "Looks like someone is taking her shirt off."

Lia turned red. "What? Really?"

Tris laughed. "Really!"

Lia looked mortified. "Fine!" She reached for the bottom of her shirt, pulling up quickly and throwing it to the side. She stood in blue jeans, boots, and a green-and-white lace bra. "Why did I choose today to not wear a sports bra…"

Tris laughed, and Gabe pulled up a chair, observing the 'view.' "What're those, B-cups?"

"Borderline C's, but yes…" Lia said sheepishly.

"Well, nothing to be embarrassed of! You're lookin' pretty good…" he said, smirking, but looking at her eyes.

"Can we get back to shooting?" she asked.

Tris looked at her watch. "Nope, lunchtime."

Lia reached for her shirt, but was stopped by Gabe. "Nope! If I can't find my clothes and have to wear a dress to lunch, you have to go shirtless!"

"Not my fault you can't find your clothes!" Lia defended.

"Oh, Amelia, what's wrong? Scared some guys are gonna catcall you?"

She turned red. "Fine. Let's go." She led the way to the cafeteria.

* * *

Gabe, Tris, and Lia all walked in a pack to lunch, Lia true to her word, as well as Gabe. Upon entering the room, Gabe took the front. Listening to the catcalls from his friends at him in a dress gave him an adrenaline rush, and he ran in, not a care in the world. Looking behind him, he saw Tris pushing Lia into the room. She chose the perfect time to enter: when everyone was already there. Some guys catcalled her jokingly, waiting for their ladies to smack them. However, Gabe felt a pang of anger at listening to some of his friends being serious about their whistles and remarks over Amelia.

"Wow Gabe, you got her to take her shirt off? Thank-you!" Uriah, a very tan guy with dark hair laughed.

"Wow, look at her! Is she going to be joining Dauntless? She can sit by me," another guy said. Many remarks followed these lines.

"Woah guys, I'm in charge of her, so don't talk like that," he warned, trying to keep his anger controlled.

"What's wrong, you want her yourself?" a jerk named Peter piped up. He was a mean, ruthless guy that was disliked and feared by many.

"No, I'm just saying lay off," Gabe said.

Peter stood up, challenging him. "Wanna fight about it?"

"No, not really, but—"

Gabe was interrupted by Peter swinging at him, hitting him square in the jaw. Anyone around them cleared out of the way as Gabe ducked, dodging another swing, and kneed Peter in the stomach. Having thrown off Peter's balance, Gabe punched him in the face and he fell to the floor on his side. When Peter was about to get up, Four ran over and intervened.

"Whoah, hold up!" he said, standing between the two. "What's going on?"

Gabe was about to explain when he saw Lia standing to the side, watching, taking in every detail. Unfortunately, Gabe saw many guys taking in every detail about her. Disgusted, he took off the dress he was wearing and wrapped it around Lia's midsection.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he walked away in his boxers, her being forced to follow him. He led her to her room and asked her to unlock the door. Puzzled, she did, and he went in with her.

"What are you doing?" she asked him again.

He sighed. "Guys were looking at you like… you were food or something," he muttered. He grabbed a t-shirt he saw on the floor in her room, the red t-shirt she arrived in yesterday. He threw it to her. "Put it on."

"But it was you who wanted me to go without my shirt on to lunch," she said. "So why get mad about it now?"

He paced, not seeming to realize he was still in his underwear. However, Amelia was studying his face, not his body. "Because, I just… got mad for some reason. That's all I can really say."

Amelia smiled, and he stopped pacing for a moment, looking at her. _She has a nice smile,_ he thought. _I bet a lot of people saw it at Amity._ She looked down, shaking her head. "It's fine, I guess. No one got hurt, apparently. But um… would you like some clothes?" she laughed.

He looked down, suddenly remembering he was in boxers. "Um, yeah… I'll run to my place and get some…"

He heard her laughing, and smiled at her. He decided he enjoyed making her laugh, and he planned on hearing it more often. "Um… see you back in the training room."

With that, he ran to get dressed.

* * *

Lia stood in the training room, smiling to herself and shaking her head. She had only known Gabe for not even a full day, but she was highly intrigued by him, she had to admit that. And she was flattered that he was so jealous at guys having an interest in her… she sighed. Boys.

Looking up, she saw Gabe enter hurriedly, then slow down as he saw her. "Hello again," he said, breathless, but fully clothed.

She smiled. "Hi. What are we doing next?"

He shrugged. "Well, we were supposed to work on guns all day, but you know that… tomorrow will be combat training, but we're supposed to have Tris here to teach you it first, since it's so… um… hands on…" he said. "So, I vote we explore the area and have fun."

Lia thought for a second. "I vote for the latter." She got up and followed Gabe out.

Walking out around the Pit, Lia looked at Gabe. "First though, I want to grab a few more shirts," she grinned.

Gabe sighed. "Really? You have to take me shopping?"

Lia nodded. "Yup. It's like initiation for a man. You gotta do it sometime!" She ran off towards the clothing store.

By the time Gabe got there, she had already grabbed a tank top and a t-shirt. "One sec, I'll make it quick."

She went into a dressing room and emerged wearing a black tank top, relaxed jeans, and tennis shoes. She also ended up buying a graphic t-shirt. "See? Took five minutes, tops."

Gabe sighed. "Five minutes I'll never get back of my life."

Lia laughed. "Fine, than what do _you_ want to do?"

He stopped, then got a sly smile on his face. "Piercings."

Lia sighed. "Fine."

Gabe looked shocked. "Really?"

Lia set off, heading to the piercing shop. "Yep. I've always kinda wanted a belly-button ring."

Gabe shook his head, following yet again. "I'll never understand you."

She shrugged. "Not many people do."

* * *

Gabe sat waiting in the piercing shop. He had just decided to get a few more rings that he could put in his nose, but didn't get anymore piercings. He waited for Amelia to get done with her piercing.

After a few minutes, she stepped back into the main room where Gabe sat, nursing around a ring in her bellybutton. She put a bandage over it and covered it up. "There. Where to next?"

Gabe smiled. "Well, someone's rebellious."

She shrugged, grinning a little. "Might as well live while I can."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really, then?"

A few minutes later, Gabe stood on top of the tall building all initiates eventually stood on top of, leading into the entrance of the Dauntless faction. Lia was away from the edge, staring at him.

"C'mon," he said, holding his hand out towards her.

She shook her head. "No."

He made a face. "Come here, nothing to be scared of."

She shook her head again. "There's plenty to be scared of."

Gabe hopped down and walked towards her. "I'll jump with you."

"Jump? We're going to be _jumping?_" she asked, immediately backing away. "Hell no!"

Gabe frowned as he noticed her face turned paler than anyone's he had ever seen. "Everyone in Dauntless has done it. Please? For me?"

He held out his hand again, desperately hoping she would just take it. She took a deep breath in, then out. "No guarantees that I'm jumping yet, but I'll stand up there with you."

He smiled at her, grabbing her hand gently. "I've got you."

She stepped forward tentively, allowing Gabe to hop on the ledge first, helping her up after him. She clung to his side like a magnet. He rubbed her back gently, holding her hand with his free one.

"It's fine. You're safe with me." He had the overwhelming urge to hug her, so he did. She was shaking, he realized. "Now, we'll jump on three…" he whispered.

"No."

"One…"

"Gabe, I said no!"

"Two…"

"Gabe!"

"Three!"

* * *

**Note: I plan on continuing this story. I'll hopefully be posting another chapter soon! (:


	2. Chapter 2

*In case this is needed, I don't own anything from Divergent or Insurgent! Thank you (:

* * *

Amelia squeezed her eyes shut, clutching onto Gabe for dear life. She hated heights so much. She hated falling from them even more. And at the moment, she was very close to hating Gabe!

"GABE!" she yelled, the wind surrounding her, the sound of it overpowering.

In a moment, she suddenly felt herself hitting something. Not solid, but springy. She curled into the fetal position, trying to calm her breathing.

She felt Gabe laughing and felt herself wanting to cry. She hated heights so, so much…

Gabe suddenly stopped, looking at her. "What's wrong? Wasn't it fun after you realized you were safe?"

She shook her head. "No, Gabe, not a single part of that was fun for me."

He sat up, running a hand through his hair, then placing it on top of her head gently. "I'm sorry. Every Dauntless has to do it eventually, so you have it out of the way. As far as anyone knows, you did it by yourself. Now you don't have to do it again," he said, speaking gently.

She nodded, finally opening her eyes. "Good."

He sighed. "I'm on your shit list, aren't I?"

She nodded, slowly sitting up. She felt rather numb as she climbed out of the net and heading to her room.

She eventually heard Gabe running to catch up to her. He stopped in front of her, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. Why was everything he did to her gentle? He didn't look like a gentle person…

"Why are you so terrified of heights?" he asked.

She became rigid, remembering a horrible time. Thoughts flashed across her mind rapidly. She finally shook her head. "I don't want to tell you." She continued trying to walk.

"So there is something!" Gabe said. He continued walking beside her. "How can I find out?"

She shook her head. "You won't. Amity are supposed to trust, but that's something I usually have trouble with, at least as far as my personal life goes." They arrived at her door and she unlocked it, walking in.

Gabe immediately followed her in, closing the door behind himself. She sighed, walking to her room and putting her things up.

Gabe sat down on the bed, watching her. "You're not like all the other Amity," he said.

She chuckled. "You don't say?"

He nodded. "You're more withdrawn, colder. You still seem kind enough, though," he said, shrugging.

She turned to face him. "Like I've said before: you don't have to be happy-go-lucky to be kind."

"I suppose…" he said. He leaned over on his side, stretching out. "You never really fit in much there, did you?"

She shook her head. "No. I had a few close friends and my family, and I was content. However, I was always the one helping people, solving problems."

"Well, that's good," Gabe said. "Hey, could I spend the night?"

Amelia turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "Um… I don't think that'll be a problem."

Gabe smiled. "Sweet!" He watched as Amelia continued putting things up, rearranging others, making everything neat. "Why are you such a neat freak?"

Amelia shook her head. "It makes things efficient."

"What was your house like in Amity?"

"A small ranch and orchard, my favorite place to be," she said curtly.

"What was your school like?"

"A school."

"What was your childhood like?"

"I work on the orchard, go to school—"

"No, like when you were little," he specified.

"None of your business," she said, turning to look at him.

"You don't have to get defensive," he said, standing up.

"And you don't have to be so prying. My life is my business. It's fine you want to know more about me, but I'll tell you when I'm ready," she said. It was odd; her temper was rising, but she got quieter. It unnerved him.

"Okay. I understand," he said, finally backing off. "I'm gonna grab some clothes. I'll be back in a bit."

She sat down on the bed and opened a book. He took that as an okay.

Walking down the halls, he got a few joking whistles, memories from his dress stunt. Unfortunately, he also overheard conversations of some… desires a few of the men had concerning Amelia. Gabe tightened his fists, hurrying to get to his room.

Once there, he grabbed some pants, a new shirt, some underwear, and ran back to Amelia's. Upon returning, he noticed the bathroom door was shut and he heard someone crying softly. Peeking into Amelia's room, he saw she wasn't there. He sighed. _I guess I really screwed up…_ he thought to himself.

He knocked on the bathroom door. "Amelia?" he said softly.

Immediately the sniffling stopped. He heard her take a deep breath, and responded with a, "Yeah?" He would've thought she had never been crying, if he didn't have the feeling something was wrong.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she responded. Her voice caught on the last word slightly, and he could imagine her nodding, trying to make herself believe it.

Gabe opened the door slowly. "No, you're not." He saw her sitting on the counter, her face pale and eyes reddened. "What's wrong?" He walked over to Amelia, standing in front of her.

Slowly, she hopped down from the counter and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the gesture, relaxing as he felt her head against his chest. He felt his heartbeat quicken.

"Nothing I want to talk about," she said softly with a sigh.

He nodded. "That's fine."

He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, placing her under the covers, quicker than last time. _I'm getting a lot better at this,_ he thought with a smirk. She settled down, seeming to space out. Feeling like she needed comfort, no matter how much she would say she didn't, he took his shoes off and crawled in beside her. She set her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her back. After a few minutes, he felt her crying. After another few minutes, they both fell asleep.

* * *

Amelia entered a deep sleep with frightful dreams after her breakdown with Gabe. She was taken to a place that looked just like her old home, only… it was dark and creepy, not comforting like it usually was. She walked around, looking for her mom and dad. She couldn't speak.

Suddenly, the front door swung open, and there were slow, heavy footsteps heading towards her. She recognized those footsteps. Immediately she hid in a cabinet as the form entered the kitchen. "Amelia," the voice said, drawing out the 'e.' It was deep and rough and did more than just scare her. In fact, it even went past terrifying her. "Where are you, sweetheart?" She shivered at the nickname. He always called her sweetheart, but he never meant it.

Suddenly the door was flung open, the tall figure standing in front of her. She thankfully didn't see clear features making a face, but nonetheless he grabbed her by her hair, dragging her out. She kicked and tried to scream, but nothing made a difference. She watched, horrified, as the figure drew his hand back, making a fist, and came towards her quickly.

She shot up in bed, waking in a sweat and her face covered with tears. Gabe was already awake, holding her. "Amelia, it's okay…" he said. "It was a dream." He stroked her head as she leaned into him, crying once again. He placed her head into the curve of his neck and chest and placed a kiss on her head. Regardless of whether or not she wanted him here before, she wanted him here now. He was her anchor, and made her feel better, she realized.

She was thankful he didn't ask questions, but simply comforted her. Soon he laid her back down and left the room. Returning, he carried two cups of tea. One for her, one for him. "Hope you don't mind me making some for myself," he grinned. He spoke very softly, almost delicately. This did not fit the way he looked, but she realized how nice his voice was. And although his smile looked a bit goofy sometimes, he still was very handsome.

She sat up, accepting the teacup. He moved closer to her, sitting where their hips touched, and leaned back on one arm which went behind her shoulders. They sat there for a while, drinking tea and relaxing. Amelia was still shook up from her nightmare, and somehow Gabe seemed to understand that.

She finished her tea and set it on her nightstand, which lie on the other side of Gabe. Sighing, she just reached over him and set it down, then returned to her original position. She saw Gabe smiling. "What?" she asked.

He just shook his head. "You practically laid on me," he said.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever." She lay down completely, putting her head on her pillow. When Gabe finally finished and lay down beside her, Amelia moved her head to rest on his chest. She could imagine him smiling as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling the blankets over them. She smiled ever so slightly, taking in his scent. She eventually fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Gabe woke up, the smell of flowers drifting over him. He smiled, realizing Amelia was still asleep on him. He just watched her sleep for a bit, amazed at how peaceful she looked. He had to find a way to get her to relax. She was so much happier when she relaxed.

The alarm clock went off, and Gabe immediately slammed his hand on it. He hated the sound of alarm clocks. Today was Friday and Amelia had her first day of hand-to-hand combat training, then she had two days off for the weekend. He had to plan something for them to do.

"Amelia," he said softly, moving some hair off of her face and shaking her.

One of her eyes opened, looking around, then focusing on him. "What?" she mumbled.

He smirked. "Time to get up."

She sighed. Closing her eye for a second, she finally sat up and stretched, yawning. She got up out of bed and grabbed some clothes, heading to the bathroom. Gabe heard the shower start. _I guess she's not a morning person. Maybe more of a night owl…_ he thought with a sly grin. _I think I know what we can do this weekend. _

He made himself get up, heading to the kitchen. Raiding the cabinets, he decided to just make some toastable waffles. He grabbed some chocolate chip waffles and popped them in the toaster. They popped back up once Amelia came out of the shower.

Even soaking wet, he thought she looked amazing. Her bangs were down, but the rest of her long hair was still wet, turning it to a color like wet sand. She wore her tennis shoes, black sweatpants, and a black tanktop. _Black is most definitely her color,_ he thought. It really made her eyes and pale skin pop.

"What did ya make?" Amelia asked, sitting on the counter.

Gabe pulled out the waffles, handing one to Amelia. "Bon appetite," he smirked.

She smiled softly, taking a bite. Once she was done, she disappeared to the bathroom again, a headband in her hair to keep it out of her face. She grabbed a jacket and headed towards the door. "You ready?"

Gabe smiled, thinking he would like to do this every day. He nodded, walking out behind her.

* * *

Lia was panting, although quite satisfied, at the fact of her taking down Tris twice now. Tris had gotten her once, making Lia the overall winner. Lia stood up, pulling her hair back into a ponytail to get her neck cleared of hair and sweat. She stuck out a hand, helping Tris up.

"I haven't seen a girl fight that well this early since my initiation, one of the best groups there was," Tris said.

Four nodded in the background. "You are very advanced. Have you had any experience before?"

Lia shook her head. "Just kind of picked up on self defense and fighting, I guess."

Four raised an eyebrow. She shrugged. "Amity may be peaceful, but teenage boys can still be teenage boys," she said with a smile.

Four grinned a bit at that. "Alright, lunchtime. Do you know where Gabe is?" he asked.

Lia shrugged. "He walked with me here then said he had to go get something situated."

Four nodded. "Alright." Lia tagged along with Four and Tris to their usual table.

Arriving in the large, well-light and very loud eating area, the three arrived to their usual table. Lia saw a glimpse of Gabe and told Tris and Four she'd be right back. He was heading to a hallway that wasn't really used during this time of the day and she followed him.

She saw him meet up with a very pretty girl. She was a little shorter than herself with jet black hair and light blue eyes. She had a few piercings but was dressed in really punk-y clothes. Lia watched in curiosity as Gabe talked to the girl. Lia watched with jealousy as the girl slowly moved closer to Gabe, and Gabe gradually moved farther back until he hit the wall. Lia couldn't tell if he was uncomfortable or not, due to the dim lighting, but she watched as the girl finally grabbed Gabe and kissed him.

Lia was filled with rage, and anger, and sadness, and she didn't know what else! Thinking for a moment, she realized she was jealous. Lia watched, hoping Gabe would push the girl away, but to her horror and sadness… he didn't. Her spirits sunk as the girl finally released Gabe, walking away and flirtily waving goodbye. Lia stood at the end of the hallway, tears trying to spring up to her eyes, but she kept them away. Gabe eventually turned and saw her standing there.

"Amelia?" he said. "Amelia," he said in a different tone, realizing she saw.

Lia simply turned and walked away, eventually turning that into a run. She headed back to her room and stayed there the entire lunch period. She stayed there, and while she didn't want to admit it, she cried.

* * *

Gabe stood pacing in the practice room. Why had he not pushed that girl away? He shook his head. He was never talking to Cleo again! He had told her he wasn't interested in her in that way. But why didn't he allow himself to push her away? He punched a punching bag.

He turned, hearing Four and Tris walk in. Amelia followed a few moments later. She didn't look like she had been crying, but Amelia was always good at hiding that stuff. "Amelia!" he said, walking up to her.

She stopped him with her hand. "Not right now," she said, her voice soft. That really scared him. Why couldn't she just yell, like normal people?

Four and Tris watched, then a watch started beeping. Four pressed a button on his watch. "Well, you two can sort whatever it is that's wrong later. Right now it's training time."

Gabe sat off to the side of the room, running errands when Four or Tris needed him to. Other than that, he watched Amelia's progress. He had to admit, she was a very good fighter. Did it have anything to do with the nightmare she had last night? She talked a bit during it… Saying things like 'Please stop' or 'Don't hurt me.' It ripped his heart out.

The practice ended and Gabe let Amelia walk out of the room. He walked over to Four and Tris. "Hey, there's gonna be a party tomorrow. Just letting you know beforehand. Feel free to invite Amelia, too," he said.

Tris nodded. "I don't know what you did, but Lia is pretty pissed," she warned him.

Four nodded. "Yup. Good luck with that." He grabbed Tris's hand and walked out, talking to her.

Gabe sighed. He'd need a miracle to fix this.

* * *

Lia looked at herself in the mirror as she was getting ready. There was a party tonight and Tris and Four wanted her to be there, relax a bit. She decided to wear something that would hopefully make Gabe drool. She had on black shorts and a black tank top with a corset-type bodice to it. It tied up the front and she really liked the look of it. She wore black heels. _Hopefully I won't be towering over too many people,_ she thought. She decided to let the shirt split over her belly button like it was meant to, showing her piercing. For once she was wearing make-up, too; a little bit of eyeliner and mascara.

But something needed changing… Looking at her hair, she realized what. She grabbed scissor and did something daring; cut her hair. She cut a good 7 or 8 inches off, bringing it up to her shoulders. There. She thought she looked much better. Lia headed out the door, not sure if she was trying to get Gabe back or break his heart.

She arrived at the party, meeting up with Tris and Four. She was happy to know she wasn't too over- or under-dressed. Tris wore a strapless, tight black top and shorts with heels. Many other girls were wearing much less than the two of them. The three of them wandered over to an area by the wall where a few groups of sober people were standing. Four had a small drink in his hand, but Lia and Tris weren't big on alcohol.

A voice suddenly overtook the music. Apparently the party was arranged by one person. The microphone morphed the voice slightly and Lia couldn't see over the crowd, so she didn't know who was talking, but had a pretty good idea who it might be once the voice began an introduction: an introduction inviting her to the stage!

"Let's give a Dauntless welcome to our new resident Divergent, Lia!" A spotlight was on her accompanied by the sounds of banging and yelling. She was pushed to the front of the crowd, in front of the Pit. There she saw none other than Gabe.

She scowled as she stood beside him, but once she turned back to the crowd her face remained blank. Gabe put his hand on her back. "You all know her! The girl causing some people to get angry, causing others to wet their pants in fear, and even turning a few guys on, after her first day," he said with a wink. _He can really milk a crowd, _she thought. _No wonder he's a Dauntless leader. _"Let's all hear it for Lia! After next week, she will officially be part Dauntless!" She got a large cheer from the crowd, but saw some others look uneasy or even angry. A younger girl approached her after the crowd returned to partying.

"Are you Lia?" she asked softly. Lia nodded, crouching down with a small smile. "I think you're pretty. Are you gonna stay with us?" the girl asked.

Lia laughed a little. "I don't know. Possibly. It'd be really fun, that's for sure."

The girl smiled. "Bye!" She ran off to wherever she came from.

Lia stood up, ready to walk away when Gabe touched her arm gently. "Hey, can we talk?" he asked.

Lia turned to him, a scowl on her face, and then she noticed how sad he seemed, mainly his eyes. "Fine."

He sighed then grabbed her hand, walking to an empty hallway. "Listen, you saw Cleo kiss me, right?" he said. Lia nodded. "Well, she's been all over me since I became leader. There's no way I'd date her, though. Total… well, you know."

Lia nodded. "But the reason I'm so angry," she said, trying to keep her voice from breaking, "is the fact you let her keep kissing you."

Gabe shrunk down at that, leaning against the wall. Lia crossed her arms. "Well, at first I was getting ready to…" he said. "But then I thought, 'What would it be like to kiss Amelia?' So I got kinda lost in the daydream…" he finished softly.

Lia looked at him, surprised. She felt her face blushing. "I already talked to Cleo," Gabe continued. "I told her no way in hell would anything happen between me and her." He grinned. "She wasn't too happy."

Lia leaned against the wall beside him, thinking. _Well, what now? _She sighed. "Thanks for clearing that up," she said at last. "It really…" She thought of how to finish. "Well, I was really hurt."

Gabe turned at looked at her, smiling. "Amelia, admitting something about her feelings? Unheard of," he chuckled.

She leaned against him. "I let people know when I'm mad," she grinned.

He stepped around so he was standing in front of her, and he placed his hands gently on her waist. He looked her in the eyes. "Will you let me know what you think of this?"

As he leaned in, Lia wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to rub one hand along the length of her back. He finally closed the kiss, and they stood there in bliss, warmth spreading through their bodies. Too soon, Gabe pulled back, their faces only inches apart from each other. "How's that?" he asked, his voice husky and low.

Lia smiled, biting her lower lip. "I know I want more." She leaned in, taking him by surprise. She smiled against his lips, and he laughed, kissing her again.

* * *

**I will be continuing this story! I don't think I'll ever be able to write a one-shot :P


	3. Chapter 3

Gabe woke up the next morning, once again having spent the night at Amelia's. Of course, nothing had gone any further than kissing, and he was happy to admit, a bit of hand-roaming… He smiled, thinking of the wonderful time. He rolled over to see Amelia still snoozing. He was comforted to feel the warm, calm presence of her body only centimeters from his. The smell of flowers engulfed him, and he gently kissed her forehead before getting out of the bed.

He roamed into the kitchen, opening the fridge and then the pantry, finally deciding on pouring some cereal. He plopped down on the small couch in the living room and turned on the TV. Gabe flipped through the channels. The usual was on; news, weather, some little kids' cartoons… He finally settled on a channel playing rock music videos and sat back, relaxing.

Amelia plodded down the hallway, rubbing her eyes. Gabe smirked. She stole one of his shirts, was wearing sweatpants, and her hair was a mess. _She looks adorable, _he thought to himself. She glanced up at him.

"What are you smirking at?" she asked with a small smile.

Gabe smiled bigger. "The fact that I got to wake up to a woman with such _amazing _hair," he said.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Like you're one to talk with that morning breath."

Gabe shrugged. "Touche."

Amelia curled up on the couch beside Gabe, stealing his spoon and taking a bite of cereal. He tried to swat her away. "I'm hungry!" she protested.

"Then get your own food," Gabe suggested.

"No thanks," Amelia grinned.

Gabe rolled his eyes, handing the bowl off to her. A little less than half the cereal remained. "I was done anyways."

She leaned over, giving him a long, soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Gabe grinned, slightly blushing. He stood up, muttering about taking a shower.

* * *

The following days proceeded in a similar fashion, Amelia sleeping at Gabe's, and Gabe sleeping at Amelia's. While nothing too serious occurred between the two, it was obvious they were quite stricken with each other.

Lia walked to the new room Four had told her to begin going to. It was a room in a secluded hallway, the lights dim but rather white. The door was open, so she walked in. Upon entering, she saw Four and Tris already there, talking.

The two looked up upon her arrival. "Hello," Tris said.

Lia waved. "Hey. What are we doing now?" Lia sat down in a chair that reminded her of a dentist's chair. It leaned back and had many machines surrounding it. She couldn't help but notice what the week and a half, almost two weeks, had done to get her more in shape. Where she only saw muscles during strenuous activities, she now saw them in almost every movement.

"Simulations," Four answered. "To fight your fears. The next and final session will be to put you in a fear landscape where you will face every fear."

Lia nodded. "I was told of it. Where's Gabe?"

"He won't be here for most of these sessions," Tris said. "Due to your relationship with him, we've taken precautions to make sure he wouldn't, say, stop the simulation early, due to protective instinct," she said with a smile.

Lia nodded. "That makes sense."

Four turned to her, shooting the shot into her shoulder. "Then let's begin."

* * *

Lia looked around, seeing nothing but darkness. She knew she was laying down on a hard surface, but wasn't sure what. Taking a deep breath in, there was a peculiar smell: the smell of dirt.

Her body tensed, immediately knowing what was going on. She had been buried alive. Her breathing increased at the realization. Along with being claustrophobic, she had no clue how long she had been there, how far underground she was, how much air she had left…

_Pull it together, _Lia thought to herself. _You're in a simulation. Everything will be fine. _She stretched out as far as she could, trying to relax. She took a deep breath in, then let it out. A deep breath in… She stopped, resisting the urge to cough. There was a strange feeling in her throat, like she had to gag. It pushed on her chest, hurting. _I've ran out of air, _she realized suddenly. She realized what she had to do. Taking one large, final breath, Lia turned her foot down, then in a sudden motion shot it up, the toe of her shoe hitting the top.

_I need more force, or something harder…_ she thought. Feeling around, her hand brushed against something. Grasping the object, she realized it was a hatchet. She laughed, wondering who would bury someone with a hatchet. She remembered the simulation, and how those who are Divergent are supposed to be able to manipulate them. Closing her eyes, she thought of a wider and taller space, one where she could swing her arm to break through the ceiling of her enclosure.

She sat up then put her arm above her. The roof was now about a foot above her head. Taking the hatchet in her hand, she began chopping at the wood above her head. When she thought it was ready to fall in, she took the final breath of her remaining air, and chopped once more. The damp pressure of soil soon engulfed her.

* * *

Lia awoke in the chair, surprised at how light she felt. Four was nodding, discussing things with Tris.

"You performed well!" Tris told her. "You caught on to the manipulation idea quicker than I did."

Lia smiled. "Well you had already told me about it, so I had a bit of an advantage."

Four nodded, writing something down on paper. "The Erudite will be glad to know that the idea of being able to manipulate a simulation is, indeed, true to the Divergent."

Lia stood, stretching. "Can I go?" she asked.

Four nodded. "Yeah. Be back here tomorrow to go through another simulation."

"Will do," she told them, walking out the door to find Gabe.

The next day and every day after that, Lia went to the room to go through fear simulations. Among being buried alive, Lia also went through simulations in which she faced drowning, heights, being beaten to death, and freezing to death.

Four shook his head as he was going to bed one night. Tris crawled over to him, rubbing his shoulders.

"I just don't get it," Four muttered. "These are supposed to be her worst fears, but they're all so minor. Even when Lia's panicking she's completely in control."

Tris shrugged. "Maybe she'll have a small number of fears. Or, she could just be really good at tucking her fears away."

Four shook his head. "That would be worse. During the fear landscapes, everything will come out, and it'll be even worse."

Tris gave him a kiss on the cheek, lying down beside him. "She'll have to deal with that when she gets there."

Four sighed. "As long as it doesn't damage her."

* * *

Lia walked down a long hallway, Gabe by her side, holding her hand. She clenched his fingers tightly and felt his reassuring touch as he stroked her fingers with his own. They stopped outside of a door. "Well, here I am," she said. "My final test."

Gabe wrapped his arms around her, giving her a long, enveloping hug. "You'll do great, okay? It's bad at first, but you're Divergent – you'll save yourself in it. I'm so proud of you, and I just know you'll be great."

Lia felt Gabe's muscles, unusually tense against her. She pulled back from him. "Gabe, what's wrong?" she asked softly.

He looked down at the ground. "Because, it's scary, what you're about to do. And I'm not allowed to watch, or look after you, or anything… and because once it's over, you'll be leaving, and I don't know what I'll do without you," he finished.

Lia bit her lip. She hadn't thought of that. "Gabe, I wouldn't leave you behind. I'll find a way. And I'll be fine – it's not like anyone's died in this, right?" Gabe grimaced a little, meeting her gaze. Lia sighed. "Tell me about it later."

Someone peeked their head out into the hallway. "It begins in two minutes," Tris said, smiling.

"Thanks Tris," Lia said. Once Tris retreated, she turned back to Gabe. "We can talk more about it once I'm done, ok? I'll be thinking of you the whole time. You'll get me through it." She smiled at him, taking his hands and rubbing them. She leaned towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I've got to get started, alright?" He nodded, smiling slightly.

"Knock 'em dead, babe," he grinned. She laughed as she opened the door, facing her biggest challenge since her training began.

* * *

Gabe was about to walk away when Four came running down the hallway. "Gabe! There you are!"

He met Four halfway, greeting him. "Hey Four. What's going on?"

Four continued walking towards the door. "We need another government official to watch Lia's test and you're the only one available. We don't usually do this, but we have to. Come on!"

Gabe was pulled into the testing room, behind a one-way window. He watched as Amelia was given the simulation serum. He saw how tense she was and wished he could hold her. But Four pulled him to the table where Tris was also seated and got hooked up. "We have to trust you to be completely unbiased, okay? It'll be based almost completely on time," Four told him. "Let's get started."

There was a bit of a blur, then the three were transferred into Amelia's simulation. The first fear was heights, which didn't surprise Gabe. She stood on top of a small pedestal, high in the air. She appeared to be high in the air, above a layer of clouds. Amelia was shivering, even paler than usual, and stood as stiff as a pole. She jumped when the platform began swaying in the wind. _Just jump, _Gabe thought. He watched as Amelia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and simply fell forwards. As she broke through the clouds the scene changed to her next fear.

She appeared next in a small room. It was plain, covered in white from ceiling to floor. She stood for a moment, waiting to see what would happen. As Gabe observed, he noticed the walls inching closer and closer to Amelia. _Claustrophobia. _She realized this soon, too. The walls gradually increased their speed, getting closer and closer to her. Soon the four walls had enclosed her so much that she could barely breathe. She was taking gasping breaths, trying to slow her heart rate. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. Gabe wished he knew what she was thinking. Soon she had a slight grin on her face and her heart rate slowed enough that the scene disappeared.

The next two scenes were also common fears: drowning and being burned alive. Then an odd set-up appeared. It was simply a living room, furnished with the basics: couch, coffee table, TV, the like. He heard a pounding coming from the direction of the door. Gabe realized that the figure approaching was him. Amelia paled, apparently realizing what was happening. Gabe couldn't make out specific words – usually simulations didn't actually speak unless the words mattered. But he knew the fake him was yelling, throwing things, and eventually grabbed a bag and began packing. "No! Please, don't leave – what did I do?" Amelia yelled, running towards Gabe. She grabbed his arm and he threw her to the side. He walked to the door, yanking it open. Amelia followed, looking determined to stop him. But when he opened the door, there stood a girl – Cleo. Amelia stopped in her tracks as Gabe grabbed Cleo and kissed her, holding her close. Gabe merely looked at Amelia and left. She walked back to the couch, laying down on it. She buried her face in a pillow, and he knew she was trying to remember the facts – the fact that it was only a simulation, a test, and that Gabe would never leave her. At least he hoped that was a fact she knew.

The next scene appeared when Amelia had calmed her heart rate. Gabe was notified by the transmitters that this would be the last fear. He smiled. _Only six. Not bad, Amelia. _He himself had gone through ten fearscapes.

This scene had Amelia in a bedroom, sitting in the corner. Gabe realized what this would be. _The nightmares she'd have. These are what they are… _There was a yelling from the hallway and Amelia cringed, trying to make herself smaller in the small corner. Then the large figure burst through the door. The figure's features were covered by shadow, other than the fact that he was huge and angry. He immediately approached Amelia, grabbing a fistful of her hair. Gabe could smell alcohol from the figure. Amelia met the figure's fierce gaze with her own terrified one.

The figure slung her across the room where she landed in a heap. It broke Gabe's heart. _No! Stop it! Get her out, now! _But he knew no one could hear him. She had to help herself. He sat through a torturous half a minute that felt like an hour as Amelia was battered, thrown about, and injured. She was crying in pain and Gabe couldn't tell whether the blood was coming from her head, her nose, or along her body. She eventually pried a closet door open and wriggled in, slamming it shut.

She began looking fretfully, pulling things down for something specific. As the figure punched a hole through the door, reaching for a knob, Amelia found it – a gun. The door opened, and without a second thought, Amelia had cocked the pistol and shot at him. The figure landed with a sickening _thud _as everything went silent. Amelia was panting heavily, set the gun down, and leaned against the wall. The scene went away, and reality returned.

* * *

Amelia remained laying on the ground, feeling beaten and frail. She heard the door open and rapid footsteps approach. She heard a familiar voice and hands lifting her, but she didn't want to respond. She didn't want to do anything. So instead she just went to sleep.

Upon waking, she was back in her apartment, wrapped up in her favorite fuzzy blankets and in her warmest pajamas. She looked up out of the mountain of blankets to see Gabe walking down the hallway, then back. After a few moments she realized Gabe was pacing.

"Gabe?" she croaked out.

He immediately stopped, turning towards her. He walked quickly into the room and knelt down next to her. "Yeah?"

Lia just looked at him. "Did I pass?"

Gabe sighed. "Yeah. You did."

Lia frowned. "Then why do you look so sad?" she asked him.

He sighed again, looking down. "Because I had to watch your fearscapes. I know everything."

She nodded, realization crashing over her.

"And," Gabe began, "because you're about to be sent to the Erudite compound to begin other training."

"What?" she asked, sitting up in bed. "No, I want to stay here! I finished initiation technically, can't I just stay?"

Gabe ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Apparently not."

Lia looked at him. "Go with me."

"What?" he asked, looking up.

"To Erudite headquarters! Go with me through all my training!" she said, swinging her legs out from under the covers. "You helped me this far, keep with it."

"The thing is Amelia," Gabe said, "is I already inquired. I'm a government official and I can't leave. I'm sorry."

He stood up and headed towards the door. "I'll try and visit you when I can, but I can't promise anything. I'm sorry, Amelia." She heard him take a deep breath in through the nose. "Bye." She watched as he walked away.

Lia shot up out of the bed, following him. "Gabe!" she called. He was at the front door, turning the knob. "No, don't go! Don't say goodbye, dammit! No!" He opened the door and walked out. Lia followed close behind, grabbing his arm. "Please, don't!" she said, finally breaking. She knelt on the ground, holding his hand. Tears were threatening to form. "Gabe, don't go," she whispered.

Gabe turned towards her, tears already running down his face. His mouth was set in a line, his jaw locked. The tears looked out of place on his serious expression. "No, Lia. I'm going now. Goodbye."

Lia, broken, let go. He walked away and soon turned the corner, out of her sight. Lia got up slowly, returning to her room. Sitting on the bed, she looked around. Anything that had belonged to him was gone. His hoodies, his shirts, everything.

Not knowing what else to do, Lia packed to get ready to leave. And when she was done packing, she cried.


	4. The Other 3 Factions - Chapter 4

Amelia sighed as she sat in the back of the car, on her way to the Erudite headquarters. She had considered joining them when her choosing ceremony came around, but still probably would have stayed with Amity.

Soon a city was surrounding her and large glass buildings were towering over her. She had embraced her Dauntless lifestyle, currently wearing her old Amity jean shorts with a Dauntless shirt, jacket, and boots. She ran a hand through her still-short hair and sighed.

Even though Gabe had left so abruptly yesterday, Amelia felt a shot of sadness run through her body at the thought of him. Every second she wasn't thinking about what was to come with the Erudite, she was thinking of him: his smile, his hair, all the good times they packed into the short time she was there. It hurt and she couldn't believe he could just leave her like that. Maybe she shouldn't have accepted him after the party incident.

The car came to a stop in front of the largest building in the city. It was towering, made of steel and glass, and looking inside she saw a _lot _of books. She smiled. Learning had always come easily to her and she enjoyed reading, having quite the collection of books in her room.

She got out, holding her suitcase as a young man came out to greet her. He looked somewhat familiar, just an echo but just enough to jar something…

"Hello, Amelia. I'm Caleb Prior, head of Erudite," he said, holding out his hand to shake.

Amelia accepted the shake. "That's why you look familiar, you're Tris's brother," she said in realization.

"That I am! In fact, I saw her right before you got here. She had taken the train, though. Follow me in and I'll give you a tour. I'll have someone take your things to your living quarters," he said, beckoning for her to come in.

Amelia set her suitcase down as a man approached her to take them. She followed Caleb into the headquarters of the Erudite.

The inside revealed it was, obviously, a library. There were computers in the center of the room and a set of stairs were to either side of the room, allowing accessability to the other floors. Caleb lead her up one of the sets and she saw a series of hallways.

"These lead to many offices belonging to scientists. We also have our labs set up here, including constant experimentations, all now open to the public," he said. They walked down one hallway, labeled at its entrance "Laboratories" and Amelia saw multiple windows to different rooms. Many had chemistry equipment, but a few appeared to be doing psychological research. She saw some citizens wandering the hallway, taking notes while looking through the windows.

Caleb showed her through the surprisingly large headquarters and soon the tour was done and she returned outside. "Feel free to explore the city," Caleb told her. "You'll now be taken to your living quarters. Our initiation is simple: Learn and then you will be given an IQ test. Continue reading and enjoy!" He waved her off as she climbed into the car and was taken to her room.

They arrived outside of a lower-lying building with large stone pillars at the entrance and beautiful stone steps leading to the doors. The building was an older one but kept in immaculate care. She was led to her room, a rather plain one: a TV against one wall with a small kitchenette, dining room, bathroom, and a bedroom down the hall. She examined the clothing given to her and changed her black t-shirt for a blue one.

Amelia sat in her room, alone for the first time in a long time. Usually she would be training right now, or Gabe would be bothering her. _Don't think about Gabe, _she thought to herself. _It'll just hurt more._

She sat, frustrated. There were many books surrounding her and an informational packet on the IQ test. Reading it she felt well-versed in all the subjects and decided to study tomorrow, as her conveniently given schedule suggested. Instead she dug out some athletic shorts and tennis shoes and pulled her hair back. She ran out the door and headed to the street, deciding to take a run through the city. She got many stares but felt much better.

* * *

Gabe was in the training room, pounding away at the punching bags hanging along the room. He soon heard the door to the training room open and shut, and footsteps approached.

"What do you want, Four?" Gabe asked, punching the bag a few more times before turning to look at his friend.

"I want to know why you're such an idiot," Four said, leaning against the punching bag to Gabe's left. "You pulled a real douche move with Lia, you know."

Gabe turned back to the bag and pounded at it even harder. "Yes, I know, but it was for the best."

"Was it really?" Four asked him. "I mean, you were both happy. I know you couldn't go with her, but you never know what might've happened after all this was over."

"I know what would've happened," Gabe said, steadying the punching bag. "She would've finished," punch, "chosen where she wanted to stay," punch, "and stayed in Amity. She would've left me without a second thought, is what would've happened." Punch, punch, punch.

"So basically," Four began as he held the bag for Gabe, "you cut it off before you got too attached and while there was a reason to."

Gabe furiously punched and began kicking at the bag, Four moving slightly with each jolt. "I guess you could say that."

"Well, I think you made the wrong decision," Four told Gabe.

"And why's that, Mr. Relationship Advisor?" Gabe asked as he glared at Four.

"Because you love her and she loves you and you really hurt her. That kind of thing can't easily be fixed," Four said. He let go of the now motionless bag and walked away. He watched Gabe standing there, hands on the bag, looking at the ground.

"But I can't do anything about it now," Gabe muttered. "What's done is done."

"We'll see about that," Four told him. "But if you really think exercising 24/7 is going to fix your problem, go right ahead."

Gabe growled, punching the bag again. He grabbed his shirt from the table and stormed out of the room. Four grinned, knowing his friend had seen the light… sort of.

* * *

Many weeks later and Amelia had completed Erudite initiation with an IQ score in the 90th percentile ("Not bad," Caleb had commented. "Give it a few years and you might beat me!") and she had begun and completed Abnegation's month of community service ("You have a selfless heart," their leader had commented to her). She was now about to perform her final stage of initiation for Candor: the truth-serum. This was her last faction to go through initiation with (since she wasn't required to go through Amity's considering that's where she was raised), so the leaders of all the factions were watching. Entering the large room and taking her seat, she was displeased to be facing the Dauntless government officials. She felt a sudden, uncontrollable surge of emotion through her body as she spotted Gabe. She missed him, and hated him, and wanted to hug him and yell at him all at the same time. He was staring at the floor, ignoring something Four was telling him. _He doesn't even have the decency to look at me, _she thought, somewhat disappointed. _But what else were you expecting?_

"Amelia, are you ready?" the head of Candor asked. She nodded, watching as the serum was injected through a syringe.

"To make sure the serum is working: Please state your name, home faction, and age."

Immediately she began listing off the information: "Amelia Leanor Price, Amity, 16 years old."

"Wonderful. Let's get started." The man began asking questions, becoming more and more personal as they went on.

"What's your most embarrassing memory?" he asked.

"When I was 14 I had sat on my friend's lap because there were no more seats and it turned out I had gotten my period and bled through onto her pants. She was so freaked out when I stood up she screamed and fainted," Amelia revealed. This got a lot of laughter from the audience and she shrugged, an embarrassed grin on her face.

"What's your biggest regret?" he asked.

Amelia paused. Then the serum kicked in and she couldn't stop. "I met a guy during my Dauntless initiation and he left me and I didn't chase after him hard enough," she finally said. Her voice sounded weak and raspy, definitely not strong.

She looked up into the audience. She knew tears were threatening to fall any second, but she finally saw Gabe looking at her. He looked shocked, but his face seemed softer than that day, almost as if he realized his mistake.

"Did you love him?" the man asked.

Without hesitation, and without any push from the serum, Amelia answered, "Absolutely. I still do."

There were many 'Awws' from the audience and Amelia finally let a tear fall. She wiped it away quickly.

"Who are you looking at?" the man finally asked, curiosity peaked.

"The man in my confession," she said. "Not to put any pressure on you, Gabe. But I mean, I'm under truth serum," she said, shrugging and smiling, allowing a laugh.

He smiled back at her. She almost completely melted right there. _I haven't seen his smile in so long, _she thought. _I missed it so much. _"It's understandable," he replied. Many of the people watching laughed.

"Miss, I believe you are free to go, only after this last bit: Please confess to him right now everything on your mind. The truth will set you free," the man said. He sat back, ready for the confession.

"Gabe, I was absolutely heartbroken when you left me like you did," she began. "I thought I hated you. I cried more then than I ever remember crying over a boy, because you weren't just a fling, you were important to me. And the fact that someone so important to me just left is a _huge _deal to me, and I don't know how long it will take me to get over that. But we could've worked around it. These past few months I felt so alone without you. I couldn't see your smile, or your eyes, or debate with you or get sarcastic comments about everything, and it drove me crazy. I missed you, dammit, and I want you back _now!_" she finished, standing up. She was crying and laughing at the same time and felt like a maniac.

The crowd began hooting and hollering and stood, making Amelia feel like she finally did something right. As the chaos died down, she watched as Gabe stood up and made his way towards her. He finally reached her and stopped, looking down at her eyes. He smiled. "I love you, too," he said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her for the first time in months. He kissed her exactly the way he had thought of kissing her: with everything he had, with all the feelings of the past few months built up in him and finally flowing out.

The crowd clapped and cheered and Amelia was dismissed, taking Gabe's hand and leading him out of the room."Thank you for your honesty," the head of Candor said as she exited. She smiled. "No, thank you, for giving me courage to tell the truth." She looked up at Gabe and ran, leading him to her room.

"What are we doing?" he asked her, laughing.

"Catching up," she said.

* * *

***So after this I'm going to publish a separate story that will be a one-shot of a bit of a... frisky scene ;) So look it up if you want. If not, keep on reading!**


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